Ice Capades

Posted Date: 1/3/2011

Admittedly, I’m not much of a winter traveler.

Two years ago in December, just before Christmas, my husband dragged me out of the house so he could take outdoor pictures for holiday gifts. There we were, hiking through Cain Park in Cleveland Heights, fresh snow dusting the ground, looking for naturally occurring letters in nature. I started out the day grumpy, but after a few hours of (cold) fresh air, I felt invigorated.

Each year, I say that I’ll be more active in the winter and I almost always fail. For me, exercise is an outdoor thing, which is difficult to do when the wind whips you two steps back for every step you take forward.

This year, however, I found new inspiration in last month’s cover story. Ron Rollins scoured the state to find travel-worthy winter activities in Ohio’s parks. Sure, there’s skating, skiing and sledding, but there also are parks with ice fishing and Frisbee golf. And although I haven’t actually tried any of these activities yet, I have been “training” by hiking in the Metroparks' Rocky River and Brecksville Reservations. I’ve found that after about 10 minutes outside, my body either adjusts to the cold or goes numb and I actually enjoy the frosted scenery and rosy-cheeked glow that lasts for hours after my walks.

Don’t get me wrong — I still don’t like the cold. But I do love being outdoors and I’m hoping to build up a tolerance for freezing temperatures so that I can try ice fishing or Frisbee golf before the season ends.

What’s your favorite winter activity in Ohio? Do you prefer to sit by the fire with a mug of hot chocolate or race downhill on sleds or skis?